Semiconductor devices such as power switches are a common part of electronic devices. Such devices are often packaged so that they may be practically incorporated into an electronic circuit. Due to the desire for smaller electronic devices there is a demand for electronic packages of smaller size. Chip scale packages thus have been developed which are the size of or nearly the size of a semiconductor device.
Also known are semiconductor device packages in which all electrodes are located on a common die surface and are connectable to corresponding conductive pads or traces on a support surface such as a printed circuit board.
The proper placement and attachment of a semiconductor package to a circuit board is an important step in manufacturing of electronic circuits. At the present time, such devices are first soldered down to the board and in a separate step a liquid epoxy is applied around the periphery of the device which is pulled into the space between the device bottom and the top of the board by capillary action to form an underfill to improve device temperature cycling capability. Often, such a process requires the device to be first soldered in an automated step before the underfill material is applied. Thus, if during the soldering process the device is placed less than perfectly there is a chance that the underfill material will not be deposited accurately and may unintentionally spill over to the other areas of the board. This of course is undesirable and may require the circuit board to be designed in such a way to accommodate spillage due to misplacement of the semiconductor package. For example, the area on the circuit board intended for the semiconductor package may be enlarged to accommodate the spillage of the underfill material. This solution of course requires the enlargement of the circuit board which is contrary to the desire for a smaller electronic device.
It would be desirable to provide a semiconductor package which can be accurately placed on a circuit board and attached thereto without the drawbacks of the conventionally known devices discussed above.